The Little Things That Can Ruin A Marriage 4/10/2018

Good Morning,

Yes it is a good morning. And a good morning for me starts with prayer and a large cup of Door County Chocolate Cherry Coffee. So let's get into the message.

Song of Solomon 2:15 New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁵ Catch us the foxes,
The little foxes that spoil the vines,For our vines have tender grapes.

Song of Solomon 2:15 is a wise and beautiful verse. The vineyards are “in bloom”—the romance is alive and growing and preparing to bear fruit. The Beloved desires the “foxes” to be rounded up and destroyed—all potential threats to their relationship must be removed. And she specifies that the foxes are “little”—it’s the little things, the things overlooked, that often spoil things of value. The Beloved wants her lover, Solomon, to address and remove all dangers, obstacles, and threats to their love. As they pay attention to the “little things,” the lovers will continue to pursue marriage and sexual intimacy.

There are those little things that start small and end up to be big things in a marriage. These little things often lead to vows being broken, hearts and families destroyed, and fatherless or motherless children. Simple flirtation between two people can lead to other things or cause a spouse to feel insecure. The beginning of an affair always starts with little things. Too much alcohol, day after day, leaves a wide path of hurt and loss. Hidden spending can cause grief beyond measure, especially if the money is spent to support sinful habits.  They start out little and end up a big mess. Marriages are like tender plants that need to be protected from animals that just take a nibble, but it is enough to eventually kill the plant.

In addition, our relationship with God has no room for the little sins that we like to keep. They eventually lead to the bigger issues and like a marriage that ends up hurting so does our relationship with God suffer when we pursue sin instead of Him. We only hurt ourselves by not tending our hearts. We are the gardener of our hearts and we need to protect the garden from the pests of sin.

Just a little food for thought.

Marty